Enos

After reflecting on the words of his father, Enos prayed for and received a remission of his sins. He then prayed for the spiritual welfare of the Nephites and Lamanites and spent his life laboring for their salvation.

Read Enos 1:1, 3, and notice the influence Jacob had on Enos. Although Enos was the son and grandson of prophets, he still needed to experience the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ for himself.

Think of a time when you have felt very hungry. Circle some words below that describe what you feel when you are hungry:

• empty

• weak

• unsatisfied

• starving

• pain

• anxious

• a craving

Highlight the phrase “my soul hungered” in Enos 1:4. What do you think this phrase means?

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Enos Praying

The phrase “my soul hungered” may involve feelings such as spiritual emptiness or pain or a desire to be filled spiritually. Enos wrote about a time when he experienced this spiritual hunger. He wrote that his father’s words “sunk deep into [his] heart” (Enos 1:3). As he reflected on those words, he experienced desires that led him to act in faith. His faithful actions brought changes in his life and blessings from the Lord.

1. Begin a series of exercises to help you understand Enos’s experience and relate it to your life by dividing a full page of your scripture study journal into six sections and labeling each section as follows:

2. Read Enos 1:2–3, and look for phrases in each verse that indicate what Enos desired to have in his life. Write these phrases in the section marked “What Enos desired” in your scripture study journal chart.

Enos’s desire for a remission of his sins helps us understand what he meant in Enos 1:4 when he wrote, “My soul hungered.” In addition to hungering for forgiveness, Enos also desired “eternal life, and the joy of the saints” (Enos 1:3). He wanted to feel the happiness that comes from being worthy to be with the Lord and others who are righteous.

3. Consider if you have some of the same feelings of spiritual hunger that Enos described. In your scripture study journal chart, in the section marked “What I desire,” write about some of the spiritual desires that you hunger for in your life.

Enos’s desires led him to exercise his faith and act. In Enos 1:2, identify and mark the word Enos used to describe the effort he made. Notice that Enos did not wrestle with God but before God in prayer. Such wrestling involves a mental and spiritual struggle to show Heavenly Father the sincerity of our desires and our willingness to repent and make necessary changes in our lives. In Enos 1:4, Enos recorded some details describing his wrestle.

4. Read Enos 1:4, and mark the things Enos did to show he was sincere as he sought a remission of his sins. List what you identify under “What Enos did” in your scripture study journal chart.

The word supplication in Enos 1:4 means to ask humbly and with great desire. Our prayers may not be as long as Enos’s, but they need to be sincere.

5. In your scripture study journal chart, under “What I need to do,” write your thoughts about how you can show the Lord your sincerity as you pray and seek His spiritual blessings.

6. Enos’s faithful and sincere efforts led to great blessings in his life. Read Enos 1:5–8, and mark what Enos experienced. List these in the “What Enos experienced” section of your scripture study journal chart. As you read verses 5 and 6, notice how Enos knew he had been forgiven. The voice mentioned in verse 5 was a voice that came into Enos’s mind (see Enos 1:10).

Enos 1:7–8 teaches that as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, our sins can be forgiven and we can be made whole. Our desires to improve, our sincere prayers, and our efforts to repent are ways we can show faith in Jesus Christ.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the First Presidency explained how our guilt can be swept away as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and repent of our sins:

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President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

“Once we have truly repented, Christ will take away the burden of guilt for our sins. We can know for ourselves that we have been forgiven and made clean. The Holy Ghost will verify this to us; He is the Sanctifier. No other testimony of forgiveness can be greater. …

“[The Lord] declared, ‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more’ (D&C 58:42).

“Satan will try to make us believe that our sins are not forgiven because we can remember them. Satan is a liar; he tries to blur our vision and lead us away from the path of repentance and forgiveness. God did not promise that we would not remember our sins. Remembering will help us avoid making the same mistakes again. But if we stay true and faithful, the memory of our sins will be softened over time. This will be part of the needed healing and sanctification process” Ensign or Liahona, May 2007, 101).

To help you apply President Uchtdorf’s words, reflect on the following questions: When have you felt that the Lord forgave you of your sins? How did you know you were forgiven? Have you felt the Lord’s forgiveness recently?

7. After pondering the questions above, record in the “My experience” section in your scripture study journal chart your experience with the feelings of forgiveness. Or you could write about what you hope to experience as you exercise faith in Jesus Christ.

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concentric circles

This diagram illustrates Enos’s prayer. He first prayed for himself and then expanded his prayers to include others. Read Enos 1:9–10, and mark in your scriptures whom Enos prayed for second. Read Enos 1:11–14, and mark whom Enos prayed for third.

8. Respond to the following question in your scripture study journal: Based on Enos’s description of the Lamanites’ intentions in Enos 1:14, what impresses you about his prayer for them?

We learn from Enos’s example that as we experience the blessings of Jesus Christ’s Atonement, we will seek to help others receive salvation. To help you remember this truth, you may want to write all or part of the following statement from President Howard W. Hunter in the margin of your scriptures:

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President Howard W. Hunter

“Any time we experience the blessings of the Atonement in our lives, we cannot help but have a concern for the welfare of our brethren. …

“A great indicator of one’s personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others” (The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter, ed. Clyde J. Williams [1997], 248–49).

Read Enos 1:19–20, 26, and mark words or phrases that show the sincerity of Enos’s desires for the Nephites and the Lamanites after he prayed for them.

Read Enos 1:27, and look for evidence of the joy Enos experienced for his efforts and the assurance of eternal life he received.

9. To help you apply what you have learned in this lesson, prayerfully decide one or more ways you can follow Enos’s example. Choose one statement below, and complete it in your scripture study journal:

   1. Like Enos, I desire to receive a remission of my sins. I will show the Lord I am sincere in this desire by …

   2. Like Enos, I desire to help my family members and friends come unto Jesus Christ. One person I will seek to help is (person’s name). I will seek to help this person by …

   3. Enos prayed for the Lamanites, who could be considered his enemies. Like Enos, I want to show the Lord’s love toward those who are unkind to me. One way I will do this is …

Seek to accomplish what you have written in your scripture study journal. As you exercise faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ and repent, you can experience forgiveness, joy, and an increased desire to help others.

10. Write the following at the bottom of today’s assignments in your scripture study journal:

    I have studied Enos 1 and completed this lesson on (date).

    Additional questions, thoughts, and insights I would like to share with my teacher: